What started out as a simple dog training log has morphed and grown into a keep yourself informed about things that are having a serious negative effect on all dog owning and training. And there is still the dog training complete with pictures and video.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Rescind HSUS' tax exempt charity status

I apologize to any who have already received this message but feel it is critical to reach everyone at this time.

As all of you know, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is perhaps the largest and most powerful anti-pet breeding organization that we face. They are behind much, and possibly most, of the adverse pet breeding legislation on the state and federal level throughout the United States. Those of you involved in Illinois pet ownership and breeding issues this past year know that the IL chapter of HSUS was directly supportive of legislation - and even helped in drafting several bills - that would have taken away our rights to own and breed our pets, such as HB 198 and SB 53, as well as other bills very harmful to our cause.

HSUS performs this heavy lobbying and legislative activity by masquerading itself as a 501(c)3 charitable organization and soliciting donations based upon this tax exempt status.

Under IRS regulations, lobbying, while not prohibited entirely, is heavily restricted for organizations receiving this tax-exempt status. HSUS has gone far beyond this boundary. It is time that we expose the HSUS for who they truly are.

With that in mind, there is a drive spearheaded by Mr. Frank Losey of Missouri Professional Pet Breeders Association that will put pressure on the IRS to thoroughly investigate the HSUS' tax exempt charitable status, and we are hopeful that such an investigation would have the result of removing HSUS' tax exempt status.

Mr. Losey is a long-time professional lobbyist in Washington DC, who represents animal ownership interests (in other words, us!), and has a very strong knowledge regarding what is - and is not - allowed in professional lobbying activities. He has amassed this information in the comprehensive and well-researched document entitled "Overview Summary of the Scope and Magnitude of the Lobbying Activities of the Humane Society of the United States, a Tax-Exempt Public Charity" (see link below to article below at which you can access this document.)

The first step for the plan to disarm the HSUS is for each of you to write a letter to the IRS asking that this be done, if you have not done so already. Also please write a letter for any groups that you may represent. Be certain to send a separate letter for each adult member of your household, as well!

The letter can be very simple - just ask the IRS to investigate HSUS' activities with regards to their 501(3)c tax exempt public charity status, based upon evidence you have seen showing that this tax exempt status is not justified. A sample letter is as follows:

Dear Tax Fraud Investigator,We (I) respectfully request that you investigate the Humane Society of the United States ( tax identification number EIN 530225390 ) for their excessive lobbying using charitable donations.

Please keep the identity of my company ( or my identity ) private.Thank you for your consideration in this urgent matter.

Respectfully,(Sign your name or company name)Type your name or company nameAddress

Please place in a separate envelope for each letter sent, and mail to:

Please mail this CERTIFIED MAIL. You will get a receipt from the post office when you send by certified mail. Please make a copy of the certified mail receipt and e-mail, fax or mail to:

Frank Losey2029 Tampa Blvd.Navarre, Florida 32566

or fax to: 1 (479) -299 - 4417

Mr. Losey MUST have copies of the certified receipt plan. If the IRS fails to act, Mr. Losey will go above them and demand that an investigation take place. It is vital that we follow the steps provided so that Mr. Losey has evidence, through the certified mail receipts, of the importance and urgency for the IRS to take action based upon public interest in this matter.

Please take this action by January 1, since we want a flood of letters to be received by the IRS during a short period of time.

Mr. Losey informs us that there will be additional steps to be taken in this campaign to remove HSUS' tax exempt status, so stay tuned for future reports on this subject.

Below is an item off the national pet-law list, written by the list moderator Walt Hutchens, who asked just these questions of a tax expert. After reading it, you will see the importance of participating in these efforts yourself. (This item may also be forwarded and cross posted, as well.)

Thanks

The following was just posted on pet-law by the list moderator, and may be crossposted.

If you haven't gotten that letter out to the IRS, please do it today!crossposted message below:

I expect some of us are wondering how worthwhile it is to do this. Ican answer that question.

As it happens, we have a contact, a professional who is an expert onexactly this issue -- the tax status of non-profit corporations. Trustme, this person KNOWS how these things work.

We asked this individual about this campaign. Here are paraphrases ofthe responses to several specific questions:============ ========Q. Does the IRS care about these things?A. Yes, ABSOLUTELY. EVERY complaint about abuse of the tax code mustbe investigated.

Q. Isn't it enough to just poke the IRS once or twice and let themtake it from there?A. NO, that isn't a good approach. With one or two complaints it canbe like cleaning up your bathroom closet: You know you ought to do it,but if you don't get to it today, nothing ter rible will happen andyou've got more important stuff to do. But then tomorrow, some othercrisis comes along ... maybe you'll never get to hanging up the toiletbrush and picking up the Tidy Bowl bottle at all ....The more letters the IRS gets complaining about a specific problemcorporation, the more likely they are to take action.

Q. So more complaints means more certain and faster action.A. Yes. But it goes beyond 'more certain and faster.' The morecomplaints there are, the higher the level at which the problems willbe considered.

If there is a serious problem, you WANT high level attention becausethat's where the big decisions get made. Get those top managers onboard with thousands of letters and if the complaint is found to bejustified, the top levels can and will do more.It is the IRS's job to collect taxes. Nothing pleases them more thanto find a real tax cheat, turn him upside down and shake. Topmanagement shakes a lot harder than lower levels.

Q. Do we have to get our contacts (letters, etc.) exactly right?A. The IRS are professionals. Tell them about the problems (in thiscase your view that a corporation claiming to be a charity is nothingof the sort), give them whatever you have, and they will take it fromthere.

Even stories are good, as long as they describe significant actions bythe corporation that do not represent a valid charitable purpose. Whentelling stories, DO focus on the specific corporation and be as clearas you can about what they're doing, but DON'T feel that if yourformat isn't perfect or a word is misspelled, they'll toss yourcomplaint.

Q. What if I don't have any new facts?A. Then just tell the IRS that in your opinion this corporation does notmeet the guidelines for a charitable exemption. Again, NUMBERS COUNT.One letter ought to be enough to get basic checks done, someday.Thousands, however, WILL get a serious investigation started.============ ======SEND THAT LETTER, folks. Do it now. If you can't or don't want towrite your own letter, then go to:

2 comments:

With due respect to you, Ms. Woods, I need some way of verifying the accuracy of your list of HSUS's 1987 goals. Once verified, goal # 10 would be very helpful in combating recent HSUS-sponsored breeder legislation in Hawaii.

6. Transfer enforcement of animal welfare legislation away from the Department of Agriculture

7. Eliminate fur ranching and the use of furs.

8. Prohibit hunting, trapping and fishing.

9. End the international trade in wildlife goods

10. Stop any further breeding of companion animals, including purebred dogs and cats. Spaying and neutering should be subsidized by state and municipal governments. Abolish commerce in animals for the pet trade.

11. End the use of animals in entertainment and sports.

12. Prohibit the genetic manipulation of species.

NOTE: This was written in 1987, long before genetic engineering and cloning. In this context, “genetic manipulation” means selective breeding”